The thinner parts was perfect tender, it was the thicker part that was tough.

I was afraid it would dry out if I kept cooking it.

The flavor was great.

Like I said , just a tad tough.

Maybe I am being too picky?

Not sure if its only me, but I find that the time to pull it off is very narrow...after it reaches 194 or so...you can pull it off too soon and it will be too tough and if you wait a tad too long it can fall apart as you slice.

The toothpick test is great, but not really a bulletproof method (not sure that there are any lol)

My last brisket, I kept probing with a toothpick and it just wasn't sliding in nice n' easy like I wanted...temp...reached over 200 and then just decided to pull it off cause I didn't want pulled beef...turned out good, but was a bitch to slice cause it was falling apart on me.

What kills me is how some people make it seem so easy. There is a BBQ place near me that makes a great brisket. It is always ready when you order, and it's always perfect. Ant the cook is from Georgia, not Texas like you'd think.

I think the "toothpick tender" test is a whole different animal with flats as compared to points. With a point, it really does feel like it's sliding into butter. With a flat, not so much. What's worked for me (usually) is to do the probe test early on in the cook so I get a feel for it, or a baseline if you will. Then later I probe and try to feel for a difference. It won't be butter tender, but if the probe slides in significantly more easily than it did before, I know I'm getting close. I've had them reduced to dry, crumbly shreds by waiting for the "butter" feeling.

I think the "toothpick tender" test is a whole different animal with flats as compared to points. With a point, it really does feel like it's sliding into butter. With a flat, not so much. What's worked for me (usually) is to do the probe test early on in the cook so I get a feel for it, or a baseline if you will. Then later I probe and try to feel for a difference. It won't be butter tender, but if the probe slides in significantly more easily than it did before, I know I'm getting close. I've had them reduced to dry, crumbly shreds by waiting for the "butter" feeling.